towels are not fulling-friendly

I had the pieces of this red and brown tote all crocheted and ready to assemble ages ago (can't even think how long - but years, not months, I'm pretty sure), and I was stalled a bit by (you guessed it) the assembly process. 

The way I hate having to sew together parts that I just created, so please explain to me why I couldn't have just created them already assembled? Please?

Except that, sometimes, that's not possible/practical. I think the little flap might have been the sort of thing you could have worked right onto the body of the bag, but the straps really had to be made up separate and sewn on. (Unless someone knows how you would manage the little circle thing as a surface chain/embroidery sort of thing? Thought not.)

I ran across this un-finished-object while looking for another that I hadn't seen in a while, and decided it was time to just sit myself down and sew the dang thing. Ugh.

It was hard. Really hard. All that business of cutting the yarn, threading the needle, placing the pieces just exactly so. Trying not to have my stitches show up.* Working with the same color yarn just in case. Geez.

Once it was sewn together, it was time to throw the thing into a hot water wash and shrink it.

Now, I'd gone and used this lovely red wool, and therefore I was concerned that it might just bleed a little color.** Washing it with the sheets sounded like trouble. Besides, the current sheets on my bed are denim, rather new, still quite dark, and likely to bleed some color themselves in hot water. I pondered this for a day or so. I considered throwing in some (faded) jeans, but couldn't think of a pair that I was willing to sacrifice to possible shrinkage and/or pinkness. I finally decided I'd use an old pink towel to add that little extra abrasion to help it shrink nicely.

This started out pretty well. Although, on second thought, I might have used a bit too much detergent. It was a hot sudsy mess in there.

The tote shrank up just right, I think. But now, we see why a towel is not the best fulling companion.

I spent the next 1 1/2 hrs hand picking the towel bits off.
That was fun. (NOT)

In the end, I'm pretty pleased with this. But next time, I'll know to leave the towels behind. In fact, I'm considering sewing up a little fulling bag out of some old, very faded, jeans - contain those wool fuzzies, and speed up the process all in one go. Sounds like a plan.

*which really won't show at all after it's shrunk, but I worried about it anyway

**in point of fact, it did not